"That will be all for this orn," Yoketron said.

Orion bowed. "Thank you, Master Yoketron."

The circuit-su master returned the gesture. This was the first time they had trained since Tesarus had fallen. Orion had come alone, of course. Prowl still hadn't regained consciousness, and even if he had, he would be in no state to train.

"You are progressing well," Yoketron said. "If you continue at this rate then by the time you're finished with the trials you'll also be a formidable warrior."

Orion wasn't so sure about that.

"Something troubles you?"

"I've trained with Ironhide as well. He says I won't ever really be a fighter. It's not so much about skill as it is about attitude. I'm not aggressive enough."

"Hmmm…" Yoketron said. "And what is your opinion on the matter?"

"I don't know," Orion said. "Part of me still doesn't want to fight, though I know I have to…"

"You don't need to want something in order to do it well," Yoketron said. "Orion, you have a selfless nobility that predisposes you to care about everyone, even your enemies. That is not a weakness. A desire to avoid harming others is one of the most valuable characteristics a leader—or a fighter—can have. It means that your fighting will not be fueled by hatred, revenge, a thirst for power, or even by the lure of a challenge. Instead, you will be motivated by a pure desire to protect those weaker than yourself, no matter who they are. I believe you could fight quite determinedly in behalf of others."

Orion met his optics and nodded.

"Furthermore, a fighting spark doesn't always manifest itself through violence. You proved your willingness to fight corruption and injustice when you and your friends started that resistance movement."

"I suppose," Orion said. "And thank you. I still don't know if I'll ever be much of a warrior."

"Let me be the judge of that," Yoketron said. "And do not allow anyone, even your friends, to convince you to doubt yourself."

Orion considered that. "Isn't it important for a leader to listen to their friends and advisers, though?"

"Doubting your decisions is different from doubting yourself."

That made sense.

"Now, would you like to begin the fifth trial this orn?"

"Yes."

"Very good. Congratulations on completing the fourth so quickly, by the way."

Yes, that... "I'm... afraid I may have cheated a little." '

"Oh?" Yoketron raised an optic ridge. "How so?"

"Well… in the trial I could still feel my bond with Elita. It helped me figure out that the trial was fake."

Yoketron tilted his helm to the side. "That's interesting," he said. "I don't know if I would call it cheating, though. You didn't enter the trial knowing the bond would help you."

"It helped me with the third trial as well."

"And this troubles you? You feel as if you are not earning the right to move forward?"

Orion wasn't sure.

"Here is how I see it," Yoketron said. "Completing the trials does not prove your worthiness to be a Prime. It simply prepares you to receive the Matrix, which you are already worthy to receive. Your own personal strengths and talents are what help you complete the trials, and your bond is simply one of your strengths."

Orion looked down. "I don't know if I'll get to keep it, though."

"No one with a spark bond has ever received the Matrix," Yoketron said. "But despite what Venture said, I don't believe that the bond will break again, or that receiving the Matrix will harm either of you. In fact, if the trials thus far really are perfect preparation for receiving the Matrix, perhaps the bond will help you there as well."

Orion took a deep vent and let it out. "All right," he said. "Thank you."

"And if it is cheating," Yoketron said, "Then I am the guilty party. It was my idea after all, and I did kidnap you and drag you to Simfur against your will."

Orion sat down in the center of the courtyard. "I suppose I can't argue with that," he said, smiling slightly. "So… the fifth trial?"

Yoketron nodded. "The fifth trial is Micronus's. I don't know much about this one, and I've never met Micronus personally, but I've heard he isn't the friendliest of the thirteen."

Orion nodded.

"From what I do know, this trial is about avoiding distraction, and it can be very frustrating. My main piece of advice for you is to be patient with yourself as you attempt it."

He could do that.

"Are you ready?"

"I'm ready." Orion shuttered his optics and waited, venting slowly, preparing himself for the trial to begin.

When he un-shuttered his optics again, he was standing in a completely blank room. He could see the creases where the walls met and the outline of the ceiling as thin, dark lines. The walls were a dull color that Orion figured must be gray, but somehow they hardly looked like a color at all. Everything was illuminated somehow, but there didn't appear to be any sort of light source.

"What have we here?"

Orion spun. A small, teal-colored mech sat cross-legged, floating in the air just behind him. The mech wore a cold, unimpressed look on his faceplate.

"So," he said. "You think you have what it takes to be a Prime?"

Orion wasn't sure what to say. Honestly, he still didn't feel worthy of his calling, but he knew it was Primus's will. "I hope that I do," he said.

The mech snorted. "Well, that was noncommittal. I suppose we'll find out, won't we?"

Orion shifted uncomfortably, not certain how to respond. He glanced over at the colorless walls.

"What are you looking at?"

"I… I apologize. Where are we, exactly?"

"Focus on the matter at hand. Would you like me to explain your objective, or would you just like to wander around until you fail?"

Yoketron had been right about Micronus being unfriendly. "I am sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."

"Believe me, you didn't offend me," the mech said. "Are you ready for your objective?"

"Yes," Orion said.

"You will follow me," Micronus said. "Once we are out in the open, I will leave, though I will be observing. There will be a beacon off in the distance. You must reach the beacon within ten breems of starting the trial. Do not get distracted or you will run out of time. Do you understand?"

Orion nodded. It seemed fairly simple.

"Then come," The mech floated through the wall and disappeared.

Orion took a deep vent and followed him.

He was suddenly standing in an empty city. He looked around, but Micronus was nowhere to be seen. He could see the beacon, though—a bright line of blue light in the distance. It extended upward as far as he could see, and it didn't seem too far away. He tried to transform, but found that he couldn't. Oh well—he could still reach it on pede, unless it was farther away than he thought. He started off in the direction of the beacon, trying not to wonder where he was. The tall, silent buildings and empty street felt surreal but also familiar. Had he been here before?

"Orion!"

Orion stopped. Part of him knew he was in a trial, and that voice wasn't real, but he couldn't help himself.

"Wait, please, I need to talk to you."

"Megatronus," Orion turned around to see the former gladiator approaching from behind. "I can't speak with you right now, I have to get to that beacon."

"No." Megatronus said. "Hear me out. I'm so sorry for what I've done, and I want to put an end to the war. We can work out a treaty and resolve this without any more fighting."

Orion backed away. "I have to…"

Megatronus's faceplate changed. "You have to what? I came here to talk peace with you. I thought that was what you wanted, but now I see you must have been lying about that too. Fine then, if it means so little to you, I'll just go back to Kaon."

"Wait," Orion said. "Wait, I'm sorry. Don't leave—we can talk."

Megatronus looked down, then back up again, with mistrust in his optics.

Orion couldn't really fault him for that. "I'm the one who should apologize," he said. "What happened when we appeared before the Council… I can't expect you to believe me, but I was only trying to support what you were saying, and convince them to keep listening to us. I had no idea they would choose me over you. I still believe you are worthy to be a Prime."

Megatron looked down. "I have a hard time believing you, yes," he said. "But whether or not you are telling the truth, I can see that my efforts to purge the corruption from society are resulting in a lot of innocent casualties as well, and that… is not what I wanted."

Orion smiled, feeling a desperate sort of happiness. He had started to think he'd never hear those words. "We can work this out," he said. "We can stop the fighting..."

No, he couldn't. He wasn't having this conversation.

This wasn't real.

He was supposed to be moving toward the beacon.

Pit, how long had he been standing here? Nearly a breem. "I can't."

"What?" Megatronus snapped.

There was something so real about him. Orion couldn't help but think he was truly here, even though he knew it was a simulation.

"I have to go," Orion turned and ran. Megatronus called after him, demanding, accusing, pleading. He didn't give chase, though, and his voice faded to nothing as Orion continued.

Then he heard a high-pitched scream from somewhere ahead of him. He took a deep vent and tried to ignore it, but an astrosecond later, a youngling femme who looked barely more than a vorn old ran in front of him. She was pursued by a dark-colored mech wearing enforcer insignias on his shoulders. Orion knew that youngling. She was one of the ones he used to give energon treats to.

And in that instant, though he knew in the back of his processor that he was in a trial, he also knew that a youngling was in danger.

The mech grabbed her and carried her, kicking and screaming around the corner. Orion glanced up at the beacon. He still had time. Maybe this trial was about resolving these things fast enough. He wasn't just going to ignore someone in trouble. He changed directions and chased after the mech. Around the corner, there were several more enforcers, and a transport. Through the reinforced windows of the transport, Orion could see several other sparklings and younglings who he knew.

"What's going on here?" he asked as the enforcer shoved the femme inside and slammed the door shut.

"We're rounding up these urchins and taking them to the smelting pits. They're a menace to society, running around the streets, stealing and whatnot."

"What!" Orion said. "You can't do that."

"Council's orders," the mech said. "Take it up with them."

"You can't... They're just sparklings."

"They're a nuisance," the mech said. "Too many tanks to fill. They're worth more in smelted scrap metal anyway."

"Orion!" one of the younglings inside shouted. "Orion help us!" They all started shouting, pounding on the windows. He could hear the hope in their voices, alongside the desperation.

One of the enforcers shifted his hand into a gun. "I'm going to have to ask you to move along," he said.

"No!" Orion said. "I won't just let you offline innocent sparklings."

The mech glared. "I said move along."

Orion felt anger building up inside of him. "I am Optimus Prime," he said. "And I order you to open that transport and let those mechlings go."

They stared at him. The enforcer lowered his gun slightly. "We have orders from the Council. You can't just rescind that, no matter who you are."

"I said open those doors," Orion said, suddenly wishing he had weapons. "Now!"

They didn't move.

"Think about what you're doing," Orion said. "Those aren't drones—they have sparks. They could grow up to be medics, engineers, enforcers… And even if most of them won't, you can't take that chance from them. There's no cause for this."

The enforcer who seemed to be in charge snorted. "Maybe you are a Prime. But you're naïve if you think you can talk us into disobeying orders from the Council."

"Maybe we should listen to him," another one of the enforcers said.

The mech in charge frowned.

"If the Council are upset at you, blame it on me," Orion said. "In fact, if you like, I will talk to them for you." He wondered if the door on that transport was locked. Could he open it and hold the enforcers off long enough for the sparklings and younglings to get away?

He kept arguing with the enforcers for a while, and then something grabbed him from behind, and he was pulled back into that featureless room where he'd started.

"That was pathetic," Micronus said. "I certainly hope that not all Primes are as weak-willed as you. I said don't get distracted!"

Orion looked down, feeling ashamed. He had let himself get sucked in so quickly. He had completely forgotten about the beacon.

"I apologize," he said. "It seemed so real in the moment."

"Well, if it didn't seem real, then it wouldn't be a challenge," the green mech said. "And it's no excuse. Primes must know how to focus on an objective and not let anything get in the way. You are an utter failure."

Orion looked up to meet the mech's optics and saw only icy contempt there. "I will do better next time," he said.

"Not if what you did this past time is any indication," the mech said. "Follow me. Reach the beacon this time."

He floated through the wall, and Orion followed.

This time, he was in the middle of a battlefield, with a sword in his hand. Mecha were fighting on all sides of him. There were explosions, screams, plasma fire. Orion dodged a laser shot, and it hit the mech behind him, who fell to the ground, clutching his faceplate. Orion knelt by him, feeling horrible and hoping the soldier was all right.

Then he remembered. The beacon. He needed to find the beacon. He looked around…

There it was, on a hill.

He looked down at the injured soldier once more, before forcing himself to get to his pedes and run toward the beacon.

Ahead of him, he could see Ironhide surrounded by enemies. Orion couldn't leave him there to be overwhelmed. He was almost in the same direction as the beacon anyway. It would only be a slight detour. Orion veered to the side, gripping his sword tightly.

Yoketron watched Orion thoughtfully. This was one of the trials with a specific time limit, like the first trial, so they could plan in exactly how long it was going to take. Yoketron had left enough time that Orion could repeat the trial once more.

It was about time for him to come out of it. He had hope that Orion would be able to complete it quickly. The young Prime did tend to get distracted from time to time, but he could focus when it was important, so perhaps this trial wouldn't be too difficult for him.

Finally, Orion shifted and un-shuttered his optics. He didn't look up, though, just stared at the ground, frowning. From his expression, Yoketron was willing to bet it hadn't gone well… in fact, there was something beyond frustration in his student's optics.

He waited, giving the Prime a few more astroseconds to gather his thoughts. Then he spoke. "Orion?"

Orion still wouldn't look up. "I failed miserably," he said.

"Well, after you calm down a little, you may attempt it again."

"No," Orion said. "Not this orn."

That was a bad sign. "Tell me what happened?"

"I had four attempts," Orion said. "I was supposed to go to a beacon, and I wasn't supposed to let anything distract me or get in my way… but all of the distractions..." He took a deep vent. "Most of them were mecha in trouble, mecha who needed me, or sometimes mecha who I needed to talk to. Megatronus showed up to apologize and work on a peace treaty, and Alpha Trion showed up, and my friends were dying, and the sparklings and younglings in the city were going to be taken to the smelting pits… and I know it was just a simulation, but every time a distraction would appear, I would think for a few breems that it was real before I remembered…"

Master Yoketron could hear the distress in Orion's voice. He needed to think of a way to calm his student down so the young mech could try again. He wondered if there was some sort of trick to this trial—some way to get around it. Probably not. Ignoring distractions was a valuable skill to develop.

"I'm not going to be able to finish that trial."

"Be calm, Orion," Yoketron said. "I can tell this experience has troubled you. You do not need to attempt it again this orn if you do not want to."

Orion took a deep vent and let it out slowly. He shuttered his optics, and then finally looked up.

Yoketron had not expected to see defiance in his gaze.

"I will not complete the trial," he said. "I will not even attempt it again."

Yoketron waited for silence to fall before responding calmly to Orion's declaration. "Will you tell me why?"

It was Orion's turn to look surprised. He must have expected Yoketron to argue with him. Yoketron was a little worried, but arguing wouldn't help. In order to convince Orion to change his mind, Yoketron would need to know why he'd made this decision.

"Orion?"

"The point of the trial was to ignore mecha who needed me, so that I could reach an inconsequential goal," Orion said. "I do not like what that teaches. I will not train myself to leave my friends to die so that I can reach a beacon. I know it's only a simulation, but it still is not right."

Yoketron leaned back. He honestly couldn't disagree with the mechling.

"Just before I went into the trial, you told me my greatest strength is my determination to help those who need me. And you told me not to let anyone convince me to doubt myself. I cannot complete a trial that I don't agree with."

Yoketron nodded. "That is understandable, and I can see how it would make you angry. I believe I would feel the same way."

Orion looked down.

"I may be your teacher, and I may have been assigned to guide you through the trials, but I am not an expert on them." Yoketron said. "My suggestion is that you calm down and then go talk to Alpha Trion about this." That would give Trion something to think about.

Orion looked down.

"What?"

"I doubt he will be able to convince me to finish the trial either."

That would depend on Alpha Trion. If there was some valid purpose to this trial, the old archivist had the best chance of explaining it to Orion. If there wasn't, perhaps they could work something else out. "It was only a suggestion. Now, would you like to be finished training for the orn, or would you like to continue for another joor? I will not ask you to attempt the trial again unless you wish to."

Orion took in a deep vent and let it out. "I think…" he said. "Maybe you're right. I should go and talk to Alpha Trion about this. If you'll permit me to leave, that is."

"Of course," Yoketron said. "I'm sure Landquake will be happy to take you to the Hall of Records."

"Thank you, Master Yoketron."

Orion left. Yoketron waited a few astroseconds, deliberating. A large part of him wanted to let Orion show up unannounced. He could just imagine the look on Alpha Trion's faceplate when Orion turned up and declared he wasn't going to complete the primal trials. But, as much as he liked that thought, he knew the conversation between the two of them really needed to go well. He commed Alpha Trion.

It took the old librarian almost a breem to respond.

"I hope this is some sort of emergency," Trion said.

"Optimus Prime is coming to visit you," Yoketron replied. "He just made his first attempt on the fifth trial, and it didn't go so well. He's upset about it—I believe he's decided that it's morally wrong and he has refused to complete it. I hope you can provide him with some convincing explanation that will prompt him to reconsider."

"What!" Alpha Trion said. "Yoketron…"

"Good luck." Yoketron cut the comm and went to sit in the center of the courtyard and meditate. Time was running shorter and shorter. He could feel it now, like a reverse echo. Something was going to happen soon that would change the game. He could only hope his students were ready when it did.

Alpha Trion looked up from his desk when Orion walked into his office. "Optimus Prime," he said. "What a pleasant surprise. Come, sit down."

Orion hesitated.

"Sit," Alpha Trion said. "It has been a while since we spoke. I trust all is going well?"

Orion met his mentor's brilliant white optics. Now that he was here, he wasn't sure. If Trion ordered him to continue the trial, he might just do it. He took a deep vent and sat.

"How are the trials progressing?"

"I have made it to the fifth one," Orion said. "But…"

Trion raised an optic ridge. "But?"

"I do not agree with it."

He waited for the shock, the disapproval, the demands. But as with Yoketron, Alpha Trion only stared thoughtfully at him. "You do not think it is important to learn how to focus on a goal and ignore distractions?"

"That is not what I said," Orion said. "I don't know if the distractions in the trial are the same for everyone, but for me they are mecha in trouble—mecha who need my help. And I do not agree with the message that I should turn my back on them so I can reach some arbitrary goal."

"Ah," Alpha Trion said. "That makes sense. And I suppose Micronus's personality doesn't help either."

Alpha Trion didn't seem particularly concerned. He must not understand. "I will not complete this trial," Orion said. "Whether or not it's fake doesn't matter. What matters is the choices I have to make. I will not choose to ignore mecha who need me."

Alpha Trion leaned forward, looking more serious now. "Optimus, you must learn to make difficult decisions for the sake of the greater good. You must sometimes even make them when you don't understand why they are important."

Orion shook his helm. "I won't do something morally wrong for the sake of the greater good. That's what Megatron is doing. That's why we're having this war."

"You must complete the trials, Optimus."

"But I will never choose to abandon anyone if there's something I can do to save them."

Alpha Trion frowned.

"Perhaps this trial is acceptable to others, depending on what distracts them most, but for me it is impossible. Maybe it's just a fluke in the system or maybe Micronus didn't understand…"

"No," Alpha Trion said. "You do not understand. Micronus may have been the designer of the trial, but all of us helped him, and all of us approved it. We knew exactly what we were doing."

"You… purposefully made the trial this way?"

"Yes. We did. You will have to make difficult decisions. You will have to let some die in order to save others. You will need to trust your goals and the things that you know you need to accomplish, even when you don't understand them."

"But…"

"Making decisions like that is part of your office."

"I refuse to believe that," Orion said calmly.

"There is not always a right choice, and even when there is it's not always easy to see which choice is right."

"But it's not hard to feel which choice is right."

"Feelings are valuable and important, but not infallible," Alpha Trion snapped. "Do you think your opponent is making decisions based on logic? Somewhere in his spark, he probably believes he is doing good. This feels right to him."

Orion shook his helm.

"You cannot always trust your feelings. Usually, but not always. And you cannot save everyone. You ought to know that by now. How many have already died in this war?"

The numbers flashed through Orion's processor and he looked down.

"We could have prevented it, you know," Alpha Trion said. "I could have prevented it. I brought Yoketron here to meet you more than a vorn ago, remember? I asked him to start training you then and he refused, claiming he didn't feel like you were ready. I could have gone after him, hunted him down, convinced him to change his mind. If he had started training you one vorn ago, it's quite possible none of this would have happened. Megatronus's revolution would never have gotten off the ground—the Council might have collapsed, but we would have had a better chance trying to salvage it. And that isn't the only time I could have interfered. I could have stopped you when you began your resistance movement. I could have warned you not to bring that gladiator to Iacon. I knew this would happen, Orion, and I let it happen. Shortly after Yoketron's refusal—while I was still thinking of hunting him down and bringing him back—I saw something new in the Covenant. That time when I read, I saw it from an angle I had never considered before, and I understood that for whatever reason, letting the war happen was part of my destiny. It was necessary, and if I made any further attempts to prevent it, I would be going against Primus's wishes."

Silence fell for a moment.

Orion couldn't believe this.

"I could have prevented this war," Alpha Trion repeated in a whisper. "I could have stopped it, but I didn't. Do you think that felt like the right choice? Do you think it felt like the morally correct thing to do? Do you think it was easy? Do you think I never second guessed myself?"

"Why?" Orion said.

"Because I trust Primus," Alpha Trion said. "Because I trust him and his decisions." He seemed calm again, though there was still vulnerability in his expression. "I do not always know why, and sometimes it is hard. This is not a trial. This is real sparks extinguished because I ignored mecha who needed me in order to focus on a goal that I still do not fully understand."

Orion didn't want to believe it. His wise, honorable mentor could not have intentionally allowed the war to start.

"You are a young idealist," Alpha Trion said. "You do not understand yet, and if you are going to be angry with me about this, then I will accept that. If you do not agree with Micronus's trial, I will accept that as well. No one can force you to complete it. But please, my dear friend and apprentice, trust me when I tell you this is necessary. If you cannot complete the trials in time, this world will die."

Orion met his mentor's optics one more time and saw a deep, helpless fear in them. He looked away again, but he knew that as much as he hated it—as much as he disagreed with the trial—he had to continue. He smiled slightly, realizing something.

"What?"

"Master Yoketron sent me to talk to you. He must have known it would end this way... I will continue with the trials."

Alpha Trion vented a sigh. "Thank you. Forgive me, Orion, for…" he trailed off.

"The war?" Orion said. "I… If I were in your place, I think I would have done everything in my power to prevent it. I have a hard time believing that Primus would want us to fight each other… But I am not angry with you."

Alpha Trion wouldn't meet his optics. They sat in silence for almost a breem. Then Orion stood. "Thank you, for all you have taught me." He turned to leave, but Alpha Trion got up as well and caught him before he reached the door, then pulled him into a tight embrace.

"The world doesn't deserve you, mechling" he said, then released him and backed away again. Orion smiled at him, then left. He would have liked to stay and talk. It had been too long since he'd had a good conversation with Alpha Trion. But he had a lot to do back at Mirage's tower, so he left. As it was, he would get back to the tower about half a joor before he had expected to, which would be nice. Maybe this orn he'd actually be able to get everything done that he needed to and have some time to spend with Elita. He left the Hall of Records, trying not to feel sad as he walked down the stairs. He wished he could stay a little longer and maybe check out a datapad or two.

Landquake was waiting for him. "Back to the tower?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you," Orion said, as he stepped inside.

He had a lot to think about on the way back to Mirage's tower. The fact that Alpha Trion could have prevented the war was a terrible revelation. But Orion trusted his mentor, and he had seen the real pain and remorse on Alpha Trion's faceplate when he'd made that admission. Orion wondered if he had told anyone else, even the other Primes. It was possible that he hadn't. It made Orion think though. If he had known that his actions would start this war, then would he still have started the resistance movement? Would he still have freed Megatronus from the gladiator pits if he had known what would happen because of it? Something had needed to be done about the injustice in society. What if the only two choices were war and corruption?

Orion wanted to believe there was another way. And perhaps—if things had been different—he would have found it. But unless Megatron started listening to reason, it was now too late to stop this war. It was also far too late for Orion to turn down his calling. As much as he hated the thought, he'd need to complete that trial, and all the trials after it.

But he promised himself that he wouldn't let it change him. He would always be willing to help those who needed it, whether or not it distracted from his overall goal. Even if it caused problems for him in the long run, he couldn't let himself forget how important even one life was.

Notes:

1. Sometimes I feel like Alpha Trion comes off as too cold and unhelpful when I write him. He's really just stressed and conflicted. I don't necessarily think his decision to let the war start was right, but hopefully it adds a little depth to his character to know he was aware of it, and feels guilty about it.

2. Thank you all for reading and reviewing! I'm always happy to hear people's thoughts on the story.